Evaluation of accessibility barriers and learning features in m-learning chat applications for users with disabilities

Abstract

Chat applications are being used for more than one decade in learning environments as a useful computer-supported collaborative learning tool. However, some of the chat applications used are not appropriated for learning purposes. On the other hand, previous studies have detected that unfortunately nowadays some students still face accessibility barriers when using chat applications, and, as a result, they cannot learn under the same conditions and equality opportunities than their classmates. This paper presents a comparison of chat applications’ features and functionalities of the top three most used and non-commercial learning content management systems nowadays, namely Moodle, Edmodo, and Instructure. The paper studies which of them provide advantage in learning environments based on UDL guidelines. In addition, a heuristic accessibility evaluation of the chat applications was carried out based on the WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Finally, some recommendations are provided to improve or build new inclusive chat applications for learning environments. After conducting the study, it can be concluded that the application that includes most learning characteristics is the Edmodo chat application. In contrast, the application that includes most features to avoid accessibility barriers is Moodle chat application.